Padres avert sweep

ST. LOUIS -- The San Diego Padres got the ball to Trevor Hoffman, and baseball's career saves leader did the rest.

Chris Young shut down the Cardinals' offense yesterday for 6 2/3 innings, Russell Branyan's two-run double gave the NL West champions their first lead of the series, and the Padres beat St. Louis, 3-1, pulling to 2-1 in their NL Division Series.

Stopping the Cardinals from sweeping the Padres in the first round for the second straight year, San Diego got Hoffman on the mound for the first time this week.

``Any time he comes into a game," San Diego's Mike Cameron said, ``that's a real good sign for us."

St. Louis will send ace Chris Carpenter to the mound in Game 4 today, when the Padres will try to force the series back to San Diego for a fifth game tomorrow. Woody Williams, who got knocked out in the second inning in Game 3 last year, will start for the Padres. If the Cardinals lose today, Jeff Weaver likely would start tomorrow on three days' rest.

But Albert Pujols wants to finish off the Padres behind Carpenter.

``Well, he's our ace," Pujols said. ``Definitely you don't want to go back to San Diego for one game."

San Diego would start Game 1 loser Jake Peavy in Game 5. ``Probably as much as having confidence in Woody, we think Jake could use another day," manager Bruce Bochy said. ``He's pitched a lot down the stretch, and we're in a situation where we need to win two games."

Carpenter will be making his third straight start against the Padres, including his final regular-season outing. ``No matter what game it is and how many times you've seen them, the goal is to execute pitches and execute your game plan," Carpenter said. ``If you can do that, you'll have success. If you don't, you won't."

Williams won 18 games for the Cardinals in 2002 and was their Game 1 World Series starter in 2004. ``It's going to be fun," he said. ``I can't get too emotional about it."

San Diego was 1 for 14 with runners in scoring position in the series before Branyan's hit off loser Jeff Suppan put the Padres ahead, 2-0. Geoff Blum followed with a sacrifice fly.

Young, a 6-foot-10-inch righthander, was the NL's best road starter, going 6-0 with a 2.41 ERA. Making his first postseason appearance, he allowed four hits, walked two, and struck out nine, fanning Pujols and Scott Rolen twice each. Young is 9-0 in 24 road outings dating to June 25, 2005.

Alan Embree finished the seventh, Scott Linebrink allowed an eighth-inning homer to pinch hitter So Taguchi, and Hoffman finished the five-hitter with a perfect ninth for his fourth postseason save.

Bochy had been 0-8 against the Cardinals in the playoffs, with his team also getting swept in 1996.

``No getting away from it, they've had their way with us," Bochy said.

Hoffman led the NL with 46 saves this season and set the career record with 482, passing Lee Smith. He pitched only one inning in last year's series against St. Louis.

San Diego went ahead when Adrian Gonzalez singled with one out in the fifth, Mike Cameron walked, and Branyan drove the ball into the right-field corner to clear the bases, while taking third on the throw.

Taguchi, who homered only twice in 316 at-bats during the regular season, homered leading off the eighth and Chris Duncan walked with one out. But with the crowd of 46,634 chanting ``M-V-P!" Pujols grounded into a double play.